I am currently working on several series in addition to the Black History A to Z and my small works series. Here is a little bit of information on all of my current series. Several works are days or a couple of weeks away from being finished. Join my mailing list to learn when new works are added to this site. In the meantime, here is a bit of information about the various series and from where I drew inspiration for the works.
The Fabric of Black Lives
I LOVE old pictures. Some of my most cherished possessions are old pictures from my paternal grandparents' photo album. I even framed and hung some in my apartment during my bachelorette days. I've longed to use them in an art piece in some way. You've seen a few of them in my small works.
In a way, the Fabric of Black Lives series is a larger version of my current small works series. Using found fabrics as the background canvas, I use photographs, acrylic paints and other mediums, appliques, and found objects to show various scenes of Black Joy and Black Excellence. Some of the pieces I am currently working on have crossovers with my Indiscreet Portraits series in that I also use picture mats to frame the photographs.
Cookie Cutter
The Cookie Cutter series has been an idea I have had in my head for years. I have finally made the first creation of the concept. I've begun with "Cookie Cutter Black Man" and next I will tackle the "Cookie Cutter Black Woman" piece. This series includes mixed media pieces using origami and other decorative papers, combined with wooden figures, paint and metallic leaf gilding to make a statement about how the world sees people of color, namely Black people.
Indiscreet Portraits
The genesis of the Indiscreet Portraits series is kind crazy in that it combines two very contrary and unrelated inspirations. The first, I already mentioned above. I LOVE old pictures. I wanted to showcase old pictures of African Americans, especially in ways that we do not often see.
​
Then there was my love of the movie Indiscreet (1958) starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. If you've ever seen the movie, you might remember Bergman's character's fabulous apartment. One of the things that has stuck with me was the arrangement of multiple framed art pieces all with varied colored mats. I did a variation of this, although with all black frames and white mats, in my apartment when I was younger.
With the Indiscreet Portrait series, I am taking this inspiration and creating pieces that showcase colorful mats and old portraits of African Americans.
Black History A to Z
This series was Inspired by both my love of history and the creativity of stencil and pop artists. I hope these works are appreciated for both their aesthetics and their educational significance.
​
I wish that the canvases spark both conversation and inspiration with each piece. These works display the names, places, events, speeches and activities that are of historical significance within the Black diaspora. Viewers should look for the names that have been a part of their education and remind themselves of the trials and triumphs that have occurred throughout our history. Yet I also hope viewers will be inspired to seek out more information about the names that are new to them, and at the same time, perhaps reflect on why these names are unfamiliar to them.
This series takes each letter of the alphabet as the boundary and inspiration for a 16 by 20-inch canvas. Some letters can be contained on one canvas, while others require two or more. With these smaller canvases I am learning, both about art techniques as well as history. The next iteration of the series will involve larger canvases and even more mix media art techniques as I continue to learn.